The shoppers are cultivating a trend of wearing clothes once, before returning the items for a refund. In the latest survey done by Barclay Cards in the United Kingdom, approximately one in ten shoppers reveal that they have purchased clothes online only to wear once to post a photo to social media and subsequently returning their purchases.
The practice of snap and return is referred to as the hashtag moment or Instagram Moment.
The research states that 35-44 year-olds are the biggest culprits, with nearly one in five, revealing they have bought clothes only to wear them once for the hashtag moment.
Surprisingly, men are more likely to return clothes after wearing compared to women. They are also more embarrassed to be seen in the same outfit twice. Men seem to be more socially self-conscious than women. Twelve percent of the men post a clothing item on social media and then return it to an online retailer compared to only seven percent of women.
The rise of the try before you buy policy allows shoppers to order clothes online and only buy them if they decide to keep them. This policy may well be contributing to the snap and send back trend.
